TRAVEL CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you hear the screams from where you were sitting at 6:34am, did you get swept away by the flood of tears streaming down my face???????????? We got the blessed news that Yun-jeong is ready to come HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me start at the beginning......

At 5am I woke with a start and couldn't fall back to sleep (not really unusual for me), so I went downstairs and laid on the couch for awhile.

I groggly decided to check my emails.....and in my inbox was an email titled "you're cleared for travel". I had to look twice and then tears flooded. I opened the email and there it was.....the news we had been waiting for.....our travel call!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't believe it.....how, how, how??? We had just checked with the Visa Center yesterday and they saw her picture but no VI and no Visa yet......so how could we be getting the call???? I knew it would come when I least expected and there it was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The words I have longed for since seeing her face.........the words that any momma wants to hear..........your baby is READY!!!!!

We are frantically working on travel plans and will update when we have them. But for right now, in this moment, I want to take a breath and enjoy, and feel, and CELEBRATE!!!! Because its no longer years, months, that our family will be united....its now weeks, days.

And my mom pointed out something to me.......4 years ago today we were logged in to China.....beginning our wait and our journey to our children.....and now 4 years later we have a TRAVEL CALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To a different land, to a different experience....but to how it was always supposed to be.

As I sat with Jae-min before nap I took a moment to realize how truly blessed I am. I didn't think I could wait one more day, one more second.....but look I could, because this feeling is like no other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're on our way baby girl.

Take A Little Look.....

Since last week turned into a week with no news.....a week of every day turning into disappointment, every minute seeming to last an hour.....and by Friday a mommy in waiting "caving" and calling the Visa Center only to be told "NOTHIN""""....I thought it was about time to show you Jaelah's room.

Yesterday a teacher who works with Joe came over and put the finishing touch on the room.....she painted this beautiful cherry blossom tree on the wall!!!! And let me tell you with that tree, the room became MAGICAL!!!! I love everything about it.
She even hid a teeny tiny ladybug on the trunk....which gets me teary every time I see it.
The room is girly, sweet, peaceful, and now MAGICAL. I know I'll be spending lots of time in here, making our girlie feel secure and comforted. And I just love love love it.
We often find Marty laying on the rug in the room just waiting.......he also did this in Jae-min's room when we were waiting for him....I think he senses someone new is on the way....and he's just keeping it warm till she gets here.
We pray that soon this room is filled with a little girl. This wait has turned from hard to downright BRUTAL.....and we're honestly hanging on by a thread at this point. We have no idea when the sound of little feet will fill this room...........but its gotta happen soon, right??????

"Sprinkled" With Love

This weekend was full of celebrations!!! With all that is coming, we decided to have Jae-min's birthday party early so that we could celebrate and he could enjoy his day. And boy did he enjoy it!!! All you could hear amongst the guests in the backyard was Jae-min's laughter. He had so much fun.....playing with his friends was his favorite.It was the best decision, as we were cleaning up we realized we never would have been able to pull that off with a newly adopted baby too....so now he's telling everyone that he's 3....Oh well I guess this year he can be 3 for 13 months!!!! Haha

Then yesterday my mom threw us a small baby shower (or sprinkle) as she calls it. It was so fun to celebrate Jaelah and talk with friends and just "relax" for awhile. She got lots of cute clothes and some other necessities.....like a second car seat, her bedding, and baby monitor. It sort of hit me when I came home from the "sprinkle" of just how close we actually are. I have a feeling this is going to be a very nervous week.

Ok Mr. Visa Man..................I feel like a pregnant woman way past her due date....you know the kind with the swollen belly, although mine is a swollen heart.............do you hear that Mr. Visa Man..............its time to issue this little ones Visa and put this momma into "labor". I don't think I can wait much more!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, that's weird....

Edited (again) Ok...even weirder....now the original post is back!!!! Must be a little computer man really making me nuts....Come on little computer man, can't you see I already AM a bit nuts right now!!! So....if you want to read the original post its back (below). And if you just want to come back on a different day and forget the whole thing I'll totally understand

I had written a post here....about waiting, and others have been having a problem with blogger...and I guess its caught up with me too...because my post has mysteriously disappeared!!! Hope you were able to read it, because it was a good one Haha. For some reason its not even in my archives so I guess its long gone into the land of computerville.

I will repeat that on May 11 we received Yun-jeong's Class B waiver.....within 2 hours we had it signed, notorized, and overnighted back to our agency. Its actually on its way to Korea today!!!

This will be added to all her other documents, making up P3(packet 3). This will be sent to the Embassy and then her Visa Interview will be scheduled. After that its Travel Call!!!!!! Can you see how close we are?????

Please continue to pray that we can make it through the end of this wait...its getting very, very, very HARD.

You Know You've Waited Too Long When........

*you check your email 1,000 times a day.....and still there's nothin"

*you keep your phone in your pocket and check it repeatedly just to make sure its on

*you put Martin's medicine in the FREEZER rather than the cabinet!!!! Yup

*you have little piles all over the house...little piles of stuff to take....stuff to take....stuff to take

*you have lists galore and make more lists to find the original lists

*you double check in the rearview mirror that little Man is buckled....don't worry he is...each and every time.

*sometimes you can't breathe just thinking about what's to come.

*sometimes your eyes well up thinking about holding a baby you've never met.

*and sometimes you sit in a candlelit room, by yourself, when the house is quiet, and rock in a chair with empty arms. You look around and can see HER laying in her crib, spinning in her dresses, and laughing.

*sometimes you just feel like your losing your mind from the longing, nerves, excitement, and anxiety.

Today we received Yun-jeong's Class B waiver. This is generated by the Visa Physical she had last week. Some things were noted by the doctor, and they just want to make sure that we are aware of these "needs". Well, of course we are....but her Visa will not be issued until we send back this form. So in all of 2 hours we had that thing signed, notorized, and overnighted back to our agency. They will send it to Korea on Friday.

This form will be added to many other forms and make up P3(packet 3)which will be sent from Holt to the Embassy. After the Embassy receives this packet they will schedule her for a Visa Interview....................then her Visa will be issued and we get TRAVEL CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We received a copy of her physical and in the upper left corner was her sweet little face.....taken at her Embassy Appearance. This picture will be used on her Visa. Oh, and looking at her sweet face makes the waiting so much harder.

Please say a prayer that we can make it through the last portion of this wait. Its getting very, very, very HARD!!!!

A Mother's Love....

This Mother's Day was filled with lots of mixed emotions...joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, arms that were full and arms that were still aching, and a heart that could burst and at the same time was weeping. A child I had longed for is here and so full of life to make this a GREAT day....and a child that I still long for is still so far away.I found myself bursting with happiness and sadness all at the same time. I know how close we are, but on this day nothing can take away the ache to hold ALL of your children in your arms.
And on this day I found myself thinking of 2 women....2 women whom I will never meet, yet feel like I know just by looking into the eyes of our children. 2 women who, with their brave and unselfish decision, allowed me to be a mother. It was with the greatest gratitude and respect that I thought of Jae-min's and Jaelah's birthmother's today. I hope they have some peace and in some way they know their children are loved beyond measure. To them I am eternally grateful.

Visa Physical!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Monday we received an email from our agency informing us that Yun-jeong would have her Visa Physical on May 4th...that's today in the US, but its already happened in Korea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I almost fell off my chair when I opened that email......when 2 weeks ago we were thinking we wouldn't travel till August, and now 2 weeks later we've been submitted and approved for EP, and know her physical is complete is CRAZY!!!! I'll admit I sort of felt like I was going to throw up when I read the next line......." and travel from this point is about 1-4 weeks". Can you believe it???

I will say that I didn't sleep well last night. I knew that it was already Wednesday in Korea and I kept thinking of her getting ready with her omma, driving to the hospital, and getting checked over by the doctor. I hope she dazzled those doctors and showed them what she's got........make this mamma proud little one!!!!

And it was the most peace I've felt in a long time. To know exactly what both of my children are doing even though they were worlds away. While one slept snuggly in his bed, the other was having her most important check up of her life....a check up that will give the ok for us to come and get her.

Ah....we are getting so so close. The false "labor pains' have begun....my head is spinning, my belly is hurting, my eyes are filling with tears for no apparent reason. Tonight we're heading to Build a Bear so Jae-min can make Jaelah a bear and so we can celebrate this day.....this day that brings us closer and closer to being a family of 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!